Something Frightening
by Katathean
Summary: A young woman finds herself stranded in the Labyrinth at the mercy of the Goblin King. To escape she must recover what Jareth has stolen from her but how can she when she can't even remember her own name? Jareth/OC
1. Lost and Lonely

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of the characters in the movie.

A/N - This story began as an attempt to work through a bout of depression - I was suffering from a great deal of self loathing at the time which might explain Jareth's behaviour in later chapters. Anyway, I wondered what might happen if I was alone in the Labyrinth, if the Goblin King chose to grant my wish at that moment. Then I began to worry that Jareth's interpretation of my wish might be a million miles away from mine. And so Something Frightening was born.

Incidentally the title is a line from the Magic Dance song that isn't actually in the film, but is in the version of the song on the Soundtrack CD. Each chapter title is a line from one of the songs that best reflects the theme of that particular chapter.

I didn't have the courage to write myself into the story so have created an original character to take my place.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Lost and Lonely**

"Where am I?"

High stone walls, burnished gold with fading sunlight, echoed the plaintive call back as a mocking reply.

_Where am I?_

The speaker, a young woman in her early twenties looked around hoping to see someone, anyone, who could help her. She ran her fingers through short white hair, lavender eyes squinting against the glare of the sunset. The area before the wall appeared to be a dilapidated garden that had long ago fallen prey to the fickle mercy of the sun. Skeletal trees, desiccated plants and grasses were scattered around in random clumps and the only sign of life was a small square pond sunk into the ground, though even that was clogged with dead and dying plant life. She walked closer to the wall, her shoes kicking up little puffs of dust as she went. The yellowing stones were cracked in places but the structure was still solid. She examined every inch of the wall for thirty feet either side of the pond but couldn't find anything that even remotely resembled an entrance.

"How am I supposed to get in?" she asked aloud.

Again the echoes mocked her confusion.

_How am I supposed to get in?_

She turned to go back the way she'd come and stopped, staring in amazement at the massive iron gates that sat in all innocence just behind her, in a spot where she was certain no gate had been.

'How did that get there?' she thought.

The surprise and wonder soon ebbed from her mind and she approached the gate, which swung open with a melodramatic groan. There was no fear in her gaze as she peered through into the murky depths of the interior. Ahead was a blank wall, the stones black and glittering with slime. Strange mosses grew from odd cracks, their sickly green tendrils swaying in the slight breeze. She glanced from left to right as she stepped through the gate. The two paths were identical: straight as far as the eye could see, bordered by the same black stones and littered with crumbling masonry and huge roots breaking up through the ground.

"Left or right?" she murmured, running her hand through her hair again. "Or back out again?"

She looked over her shoulder to find that not only had the door closed silently while she'd been thinking but that it had disappeared altogether.

"Ok, left or right then," she shrugged. She fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a coin. "Heads I go left, tails I go right."

She flipped the coin into the air and it spun over and over flashing in the sunlight, a faint humming accompanying its progress. Lavender eyes narrowed as the coin began to fall and the only sound was the whisper of tense breath. The next moment the silence was broken by a squeal of frustration.

"That's not fair!"

The coin had landed quivering on its rim. She stamped her foot, trying to dislodge it but the metal remained perched where it was. She crouched and stabbed at the coin with an indignant finger. She hissed in pain and stuck the finger in her mouth. The coin was fixed in place as though it had been glued there and poking at it had hurt. Scowling at the stubborn thing she stood and looked around once more. Eventually she turned and marched down the right hand path, arms swinging in determination as she went.

After walking for what felt like hours she had found nothing that could be considered to be an opening or a turning. She baulked at running her hands along the slime streaked walls to check if her eyes were deceiving her. Eventually she dropped to the ground and buried her face in her hands.

"'Allo," a tiny voice said by her ear.

Startled, she looked up and around but there was no-one there. Glancing behind her she spotted a small blue and white caterpillar sitting in a hole in the wall. It had big puffs of blue fur sticking out from its body and was wearing a tiny red scarf round its neck. It regarded her with curious maroon eyes.

"Did you say 'Hello'?" she asked tentatively.

The caterpillar shook its head, making the tufts of hair wave.

"Nah, I said 'Allo' but that's close enough."

She looked at it for a long moment, questioning the sanity of a talking caterpillar, even one that was regarding her with intelligent eyes.

"Can you tell me where I am?" she asked.

"You're in the Labyrinth, of course," the caterpillar replied, its tone implying she should already know this. "You alright love?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I don't know how I got here or where I was before I was here. Do you know how I got here?"

"Me? Nah, I'm just a worm," it said in a matter-of-fact voice, shaking its head. The worm/caterpillar favoured her with a pitying look. "Come inside and meet the missus."

"Would she know?" Her tone suggested it was unlikely.

"Prob'ly not," the worm admitted. "Makes a lovely cuppa though."

The girl sighed and shook her head.

"I should get on, I guess."

"To where?" the worm asked curiously. "If you don't know how you got here, how do you know where you're going?"

"I don't know but I can't just sit here for the rest of my life. I need to find a way out of this alley at least."

"Oh that's easy," the worm laughed. It indicated the opposite wall with a jerk of its head. "You just go through there."

The woman peered at the wall: it looked solid, innocent, with two thin dead looking trees set about six feet apart, their swaying tips level with the top. It was just a little too innocent.

"It's an optical illusion, isn't it?" she asked the worm. "Those trees cover up the join."

"Now you're getting it," the worm cheered. "Keep thinking like that and you'll be through this place in no time. Now," it added with a smile, "why don't you come inside and have a nice cuppa tea? Meet the missus."

"That's very kind of you but I don't think I'd fit," she thanked him.

"I'm sure you'd find a way in, if you put your mind to it," the worm said.

She looked at the worm and then at the crack in the wall which was obviously the entrance to its home. With the strange way this place worked she probably could find a way in.

'But would I ever get out again?' a disturbed voice said in her mind. 'Better not risk it."

She pushed herself to her feet and moved towards the wall with its cleverly concealed entrance.

"Thanks but I have to get on. I feel like there's somewhere I need to be." She waved to the worm and stepped into the gap in the wall, heading left.

"Wait a minute," the worm's thin voice called after her. "Don't go that way!"

She stuck her head back out of the gap.

"I'm sorry?"

"Never go that way!" The worm's voice was shaking.

"Why not?"

"That's the way to the castle."

She had to strain to catch the last word. The worm was whispering now, its voice thick with fear. She shuddered and moved to take the other path.

"I'll bear it in mind," she said. "Thanks."


	2. Something Frightening

Chapter 2: Something Frightening

The throne room of the Castle beyond the Goblin City was heaving with activity. On the King's command all the goblins, dwarves and everything in between, every creature that called the Labyrinth its home had withdrawn into the castle. Some had wondered why but none dared question their King's instructions, not when his blue-green eyes had flashed so dangerously. The King wanted the Labyrinth empty for this latest testing and so it would remain until its denizens were given permission to return.

The Goblin King lounged on his throne, tapping a black riding crop against his long leg. He was a study in monochrome, black boots and leggings that might have been painted on. His shirt was a white so bright it was painful to look at, with ruffles down the front and at the cuffs. The lack of colour only served to heighten his ash blond hair and stunning eyes. He glanced across the room at his prize and he smirked, eyes shifting to become more green than blue.

"Jareth, you've excelled yourself this time," he mused. "This one will be mine forever."

The only part of the room not overflowing with goblins, poultry or the other strange creatures they kept as pets was the small sunken area at the centre. It had once been a fire pit, now cleaned of residue and filled with soft pillows. Jareth watched his wide-eyed prize perched motionless in the satin nest, unaware of the pandemonium going on. Those pretty eyes saw only what Jareth wanted and only the sounds he chose reached sensitive ears straining to catch even the faintest whispers.

He approached with the subtle grace of a predator and crouched before his guest, so close he could hear the almost soundless whimpers that escaped parted lips with each breath. Then he allowed himself to be seen. The panicked gasp was nectar to his senses, as was the way the pretty lavender eyes darkened with fear. He let the smirk fade into a friendly smile.

"In nine hours and twenty-three minutes, you'll be mine," he cooed, stroking the soft cheek with gloved fingers.

The smile widened as those wary eyes fluttered shut and he felt tense muscles relaxing. This was inevitable, undeniable and he was convinced, his most cunning plot ever. For three hours and thirty seven minutes exactly his prize had sat in this exact spot, all alone with no memory of arriving and no recollection of a world beyond the soft pillows and stone walls. Now he would allow glimpses of their surroundings and snatches of sound into that silent world. He would watch those eyes darken in fear, turning luminous and jewel-like with unshed tears. He would savour every whimper and cry that fell from those pouting lips, all the while waiting for a smile to grace them. Jareth knew that if his guest's fear was this delicious then joy must be sublime.

This would be different from the others who had become entangled in the Labyrinth's web. Never before had he heard such venom, such _conviction_ in a wish or felt such wholehearted belief in it. He had granted the wish, as he always did but in doing so had extracted this luscious creature to make the game more interesting. After all, every game should have a prize.

"_I saw my baby crying hard as babe could cry, what could I do? My baby's love had gone and left my baby blue."_

Jareth crooned the song in a seductive whisper, watching with hungry eyes as the threatening tears welled up and spilled down smooth ivory cheeks. The goblins crept forward, drawn by the rolling waves of fear emanating from the pillows.

"_Nobody knew what kind of magic spell to use. Slime and snails or puppy dog tails. Thunder and lightning. Then baby said." _ Jareth made a sweeping gesture at his court.

_ "DANCE MAGIC DANCE!"_

The goblins' voices shattered the air like a cannon roar and they began to cavort in wild abandon as their King danced among them, the sobbing figure abandoned for the moment. But not forgotten, as the goblins soon discovered. They had spent an intolerable time waiting to torment the human but their master's game had rendered them invisible and inaudible. It had not gone over well, even though there were no goblins foolish enough to complain. Now they found that sometimes when they bounced or darted at the pitiful figure they would draw a cry of fright and a fresh wave of tears. They cackled in delight as the pillows scattered while long pale limbs scrambled to escape from each new horror that appeared and then vanished just as abruptly.

Jareth's smirk returned as through the din he heard a plaintive voice begging.

"Help me, please."

_ "I saw my baby trying hard as babe could try, what could I do? My baby's fun had gone and left my baby blue. Nobody knew what kind of magic spell to use." _Jareth laughed, whipping the goblins into a greater frenzy.

They danced even harder, lost in their mischief.

"Please come back." The pathetic wail cut through the din. "I'm scared. Please don't leave me."

"_Slime and snails or puppy dog tails," _the goblins chanted. "_Thunder or lightning."_

Jareth crouched before his panicking guest allowing himself to be seen once more. He held out one gloved hand and it was gripped as though it were a life line.

"Something frightening," he whispered as his hand was pressed to a tearstained cheek.

* * *

A/N – I'm sure you've noticed the artistic licence with the colour of Jareth's eyes. I have spent the last 20 or so years since I first saw Labyrinth believing that Jareth's eyes were blue. It was only when I discovered Labyrinth fan-fiction and came across the phrase 'mismatched eyes' all the time when referring to Jareth that I went back to the film and realised that his eyes _are_ different. I tried writing the story with Jareth's eyes as one blue and one brown and it wouldn't work. Then I realised - whatever David Bowie might look like - _my _Goblin King has blue eyes and that is all there is to it. So apologies to anyone who doesn't like it but in my mind Jareth has blue eyes (which turn green when he is excited) and I can't change that.

Thank you to everyone who has read chapter one and huge slices of chocolate truffle cake to those who reviewed.

**notwritten - **thanks for reading :-)

**superob5 - **The coin itself isn't significant but its behaviour is a hint of the unfair nature of the Labyrinth and how things there don't follow the rules we might expect. She didn't take up the caterpillar's offer, partly because she was suspicious but mostly because of other issues that will become clearer in time. Why not towards the castle? Partly because that was what the worm told Sarah in the film and partly because everyone who lives in the Labyrinth is afraid of Jareth and tries to keep out of his way.

**Lia Majere - **I'm glad you like it :-) Every time I watch the film it annoys me that Sarah didn't ask the worm why she shouldn't go 'that way', which would have been sensible. So here I made sure our heroine did think to ask. And I think you're right - Sarah is far too trusting for her own good.


	3. When Things Get Too Tough

**Chapter 3: When Things Get Too Tough**

"Hey likkel lady, come back and join the party."

In a small hollow at the base of a gnarled tree a miserable figure huddled, eyes screwed tight shut and hands clamped over ears. She shook her head as the cries seeped through her fingers; she couldn't 'join the party', she didn't dare.

***

Once she had figured out the trick of the outer walls to the strange maze the white haired woman had made good progress. The next area was more open, the walls made of dusty yellow sandstone. It was still a puzzle though as she spotted walls, well not moving as such but they were in different positions when she looked back at them. She hoped to find someone to ask directions of, perhaps some cousin of the blue worm but the corridors and runs were empty and silent. As she walked on, choosing each new path as fancy dictated, she wondered what she was doing there. It was obvious that this was no ordinary maze, with its varied terrain and strange rules. She'd found out about those since leaving the worm. She had tried to be logical, reasoning that every maze had a key, a specific way of solving it. She had tried every rule she had ever heard of for getting through a maze: turn left every time, turn right, second left, third right. No matter what she tried she ended up at the same place, staring at a crumbling wall that brown lichen had given the appearance of a bearded face. It was only when she gave up on logic and started choosing paths at random she was allowed to progress beyond that point. Which came as somewhat of a relief as she was growing to hate the face on the wall. At first it had appeared vague but each time she returned, it seemed to twist a little more. The last time she saw it, the face was contorted into a leer, as though it were laughing at her.

She had come to two doors, both unguarded and standing open. She sighed. Right now she'd even take the conversation of officious guards over the silence.

"I just want someone to talk to," she whispered aloud. "Is that too much to ask?"

Mocking silence was her only answer. The air felt oppressive all of a sudden, as though she was being watched. She whirled round, pushing thick white locks out of her face. If someone was watching they were well hidden. She turned her attention back to the doors. Left or right? So much of this place seemed to come down to simple choices: left or right, forward or back, go or stay.

_Come back_

The words floated up out of her memory, an anxious voice accompanied by the smell of wax polish. She frowned, trying to place the voice but as quickly as it had come the memory vanished once more.

She peered through each door looking for some clue or feature to tell her which one to take. Inside she could see the same dim stone corridor leading away and dwindling into darkness. No help there.

'_So then_,' she thought, '_once more with feeling: Left or Right?_'

She'd turned left last time and the time before that so logically she should try right this time. But logic hadn't got her all that far, now had it? She looked both doors over again and then stepped through the left hand one. Although the path had appeared straight from the door after a few steps it began curving round to the right. That argued that the right door either didn't go anywhere or plunged down into the earth. There was a snap of wood behind her. Her hair got in her eyes as she whirled round. When she could see clearly once more she gaped in astonishment: the stone corridor was gone.

She was standing on a packed earth path through a forest. The air was warm and just a touch damp, smelling of crushed leaves and soil. There was another sound of breaking wood and a bright orange 'thing' landed in front of her with a fearsome yell. It looked like the unnatural offspring of a fox and some weird bird. It had a large head with a long beak-like snout, long fingers and toes and an impossibly skinny body. The bird-like qualities were emphasised by the feathery clumps of fur that covered it in places and the quick darting movements. It grabbed for her arm as she flinched away with a startled scream.

"Hey there likkel lady," the creature shouted with painful enthusiasm. "What're you doing? The party's this way."

It spun round and bounced away without waiting to see if she would follow, taking her attendance on it for granted. She trailed it at a distance, hiding behind a convenient tree when she saw a clearing ahead. The creature bounded out, joining half a dozen similar creatures as they cavorted round a fire. The sound of their voices as they began a raucous song was painful. Each one had a unique feature that set it apart from the others: one had a flatter face, making it look more pig-like. Another looked older than the rest, the fur round its snout shaped into a grey streaked moustache. The creature that had startled her bounded out of the circle and back towards where she was hiding.

"Where are you, likkel lady?" it shouted. "Come dance with us! Chilly down with the Fire Gang!"

A cacophony of agreement went up from the others. She watched wide-eyed as one of the creatures pulled its hand right off and tossed it into the fire. As she clapped her own hand to her mouth, feeling sick, the mutilated creature held up its arm. The hand was still there. As though it had been a signal the others all began pulling heads and limbs off and throwing them around. One used its leg like a bat to hit another's head away, much to the owner's hilarity if the laughter trailing back from the direction it had flown was anything to go by.

She stayed behind her tree, forgotten in the revelry. Misery made her throat tight and her eyes burn. They'd forgotten her just like everyone did, out of sight out of mind. She slid to the foot of the tree and huddled in a hollow there. It would be easy to walk out there and join the party. Except she couldn't do interesting stuff like pulling off her own head or rolling her eyes like a set of dice. They would ridicule her for being different, then they'd abandon her, leave her alone with her misery and bitterness, just like before.

'_Why did I think that?_' Her stomach flipped over as the edges of the thought twisted out of her grip once more.

For the first time she acknowledged the question that had been nagging at her since she'd found herself at the entrance to this crazy place. 'Who am I?"

* * *

A/N – Another short chapter but one featuring my favourite goblins in the whole Labyrinth: The Fire Gang.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this for a second (and now a third) chapter - I hope you're enjoying the story.

Thank you reviewers for your kind words: Lia Majere, notwritten and superob5 - I'm so glad you came back for the next chapter. Mommys-Little-Nightmare - welcome, I hope you like what's coming up next.

As always, hugs to everyone who reads (I get a warm fuzzy feeling when I see how many people have actually visited the story - 95 and counting!) and gooey chocolate cake to my reviewers.


	4. A Kind of Pale Jewel

**Chapter 4 – A Kind of Pale Jewel**

Jareth's contemplation of his guest's smile was shattered by the noisy entrance of one of his goblin guards. He scowled as the dreamy pleasure in those jewel-like eyes vanished, replaced by cold fear.

"What is it?" he snapped before the guard had a chance to do anything but catch his breath.

"Your Majesty, there is a problem." The goblin was shaking, from fear and the effort not to show it. He had the sinking feeling he was going to suffer for this. Jareth did not respond kindly to bad news and the bearer never fared well. "Some goblins haven't reported in."

"Who?" Jareth's eyes narrowed at the near imperceptible movement at his side.

The slim figure was shrinking away from him, curling up to escape his notice and anger. Without a thought he cut off sight and sound once more, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips as a despairing cry fell on his ears. He couldn't have his plans ruined, wouldn't stand for it, not when he was so close. He had a fair idea which particular goblins had ignored his command. There weren't many in his kingdom with such a blatant disregard for his authority.

"The Fire Gang, my Lord," the messenger stammered. "They are still in their forest haunt. Also the worm is not here."

"Worm? Why would I care about a worm?" Jareth's scowl deepened. This idiot was throwing all his careful planning into disarray by his very presence and he was more concerned about an insignificant worm?

"Y-you ordered that every goblin in the Labyrinth report to the castle, my lord." Jareth was amused to see the guard was shaking harder than the pitiful figure at his side. "You ordered us to report any... _disobedience_."

"The worm is unimportant," Jareth mused, caressing soft white locks as he thought. He conjured a crystal sphere and twirled it through his fingers absently. "The Fire Gang on the other hand... they are dangerous to my plans."

The goblin's shoulders drooped. He had known he wasn't going to escape his king's wrath. Silently he cursed the other guards for tricking him into this situation.

"Go. Summon the rest of the guard." Jareth's abrupt command snapped him from his miserable reverie. "I will deal with this myself."

He dismissed the trembling goblin with a curt wave and turned his attention back to the sobbing creature huddled at his feet. It was cruel to torture such loveliness, but how could he not when sorrow and fear produced such sweet perfection?

"Do not cry," he whispered, restoring what he had stolen. He brushed tears away with gentle fingers and his hand was once again caught and pressed to a flushed cheek. "I am still with you. I will never abandon you."

Luminous eyes closed and a weak, watery smile graced lips that still trembled.

"There is a matter that requires my attention however. I must leave you for a while." He had to suppress a laugh as closed eyes flew open and a fresh spill of tears washed down pale cheeks. "Do not fear. My goblins will guard you well, and to keep you amused until my return, take this."

Jareth flicked his hand and the crystal dropped into trembling fingers. He watched as curious eyes examined it from all angles.

"What is it?" Jareth felt a shiver of pleasure run through him at that low throaty voice. He had wondered if imprisonment would change those tones he had so admired when he decided on his prize. Now he knew – it had but only to make them more sultry and perhaps a little rougher, no doubt from all the crying.

"It's a crystal, nothing more," he explained. "But if you turn it a certain way it will show you your dreams."

"How?" The smile returned and Jareth was surprised by the wealth of feeling such a simple thing inspired in him.

"That you must discover for yourself." He caressed the soft hair again, smiling at the hum of pleasure it drew.

He watched for a moment as the light played along the surface of the globe as it was twisted this way and that, then he beckoned the nearest goblins over.

"Guard my treasure," he instructed, his eyes back on the form curled on the pillows. "Should any harm befall..."

There was no need for him to finish. The threat was tangible, hanging heavy over their heads. The goblins nodded in mute agreement. They knew better than to disobey. The human would be guarded, amused and cared for. Their king would accept nothing less.

* * *

A/N – Another short chapter I'm afraid but up to this point I wanted to keep Jareth and his 'guest' separate from the girl in the Labyrinth. I brought in the contact juggling with the crystals that goes on in the film – you can't tell me I'm the only person who wished they could do that! I was convinced for years that it was a camera trick until I saw the 'Making of' featurette...

As this chapter is so short (it's about half the length of a normal chapter - so more an intermission than a chapter really) I'll try and update early next week instead of making you wait until Thursday. I do want to keep updating every week but with Christmas getting closer and the massive problem that is Secret Santa rearing it's ugly head (trust me to decide to knit gloves for my victim... I mean recipient) I might get delayed a bit.

As always thank you to everyone who has stuck with me and is still reading. And extra big thanks to my reviewers - I can't tell you how much your kind words mean to me. I get a boost every time I see a new review or that someone has added this story as a favourite. Your support has allowed me to see my writing in a new light and I've found myself able to return to a novel that I started years ago but lost the nerve to write as I truly believed that no-one would ever be interested in anything I have to say. I have never been more grateful to be proved wrong.


	5. Strangers 'til Now

**Chapter 5 – Strangers 'til Now**

Eventually the Fire Gang grew tired of their antics and disappeared into the forest, leaving behind only the fire, echoes of their glee and a white faced figure hiding in the shadows.

"What have we here?"

The rich voice cut through the silence, warm and sweet but with a hidden edge like razorblades in honey. Lavender eyes met green, or was it blue? It was hard to tell in the dim light of the fire but there was no mistaking the ash blonde hair shining like a beacon in the darkness. A gloved hand was offered, its fingers long and powerful. She accepted it and was pulled to her feet. Even when she was upright the hand did not relinquish its hold on hers. She was lead into the firelight and fought back a gasp at the sight of the first human she'd seen since... since when?

He was taller than she was by a few inches, slim but muscular, all long limbs and a sharp knowing face. His lips were thin, his smile held a hint of cruelty; the undertone she'd caught in his voice matched that smile all too well. He was dressed in black boots and skin tight leggings, a white shirt and a jacket made of thick red-brown leather. The high collar framed his head and contrasted well against his pale hair and skin.

"How are you enjoying my Labyrinth?" the man asked.

"Your Labyrinth?" she echoed. Something nudged the back of her mind. That word was important: Labyrinth. She frowned, there was something she was missing, something she had to do.

"That's right," he continued with a smile like a shark's, "my Labyrinth. I rule here."

"I don't know what to think of it," she answered. "It's so confusing, and empty."

"It doesn't have to be."

The words broke through her reverie, fragments of thought spinning off to fade on the edge of imagination. She had almost had it, the memory that eluded her was almost within reach and then it was gone like a dream. There had been someone else, another man, younger than this dangerous creature who was still watching her with his cruel eyes and predator's smile. She had caught a glimpse of movement in the back of her mind, tousled white hair and lavender eyes flashing with tears in the darkness. She shook her head as the images scattered and focussed on her companion.

"Doesn't have to be? Are there supposed to be people here?" She looked around nervously. She didn't want the Fire Gang to come back: their aggressive enthusiasm scared her. To be honest if they were representative of the 'people' who were living in the Labyrinth she figured she was better off on her own, lonely as it was.

He ignored her question, regarding her with a calculating stare. He raised his hand, twisting his fingers like a conjurer. He smirked at the gasp of astonishment she gave when a crystal sphere appeared from nowhere. Her eyes were wide and vulnerable as she watched him manipulate the crystal, rolling it over his hands and through his fingers with the speed and grace of a striking cobra. His movements ceased with a curt gesture and the sphere spun through the air towards her face. She flinched away and the crystal dropped into her hands.

Except it wasn't a crystal any more: a large deep red apple rested against white fingers. She stared at it for a moment then looked up at him, confusion plain on her face.

"It's a present," he said, his voice as curt as the movement he'd used to throw the crystal to her.

She turned the apple over, examining it from all angles. It was the most tempting thing she had ever seen, a perfect rosy red and looking like it had dropped straight out of the pages of Snow White. She came to the abrupt realisation that while she'd been contemplating the apple's perfection, she had raised it to her lips and was one breath away from biting into it. She sniffed it instead. This was a very bad move as the sweet rich scent wound its way through her mind and only served to increase the temptation.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" His voice was no more than a whisper, a sigh on the empty air.

Her stomach twisted as though in agreement with his words. It was true, she was hungry. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten. Before she could consider the wisdom of eating anything handed to her by a perfect stranger, she'd bitten through the thick red skin and the tart refreshing juice was filling her mouth. She was so focussed on the flavours and the texture of the crisp white flesh that she didn't hear the thin whisper dying away on the breeze.

"With just such an apple did Eve bring about the fall of man."

She wasn't listening. That first mouthful had made her realise how hungry she was and she wolfed down three more bites in quick succession. Pausing for breath the first thing she noticed was that the stranger had vanished. She turned full circle, scanning the clearing for any sign of him but there was nothing except the dark forest and the dying fire. She raised the apple to her lips once more, then hesitated. There was a strange taste on the back of her tongue, an over sweet, almost perfumed flavour. She sniffed the apple again and recoiled. The flesh smelled too sweet now, too perfect. As she watched a drop of juice welled up from the heart of the fruit and trickled a winding path along the white flesh, leaving a trail of crimson in its wake.

"Such a pity."

The words floated over the silent forest, curling around a prone figure laying sprawled by the fire. Lavender eyes were wide and unseeing. Dead leaves tangled in the tousled white hair. In the outstretched hand lay a half eaten apple. The flesh was red as blood.

* * *

A/N – I'm certain you've noticed by now that I'm following the order of events from the film (which means there's a 'dream' sequence coming up). In the film Jareth had Hoggle give the peach to Sarah. Unfortunately since his Majesty decreed that the Labyrinth had to empty there was no one around to deliver his poisonous little gift and he had to do it himself.

I was going to keep the peach but as I started writing the chapter I found that it wouldn't work properly. When I swapped it for an apple everything fell into place (including the line about the fall of man - please don't ask where that particular thought came from. It just popped into my head and wouldn't go away).

Hugs and giant chocolate fudge sundaes to my reviewers and thank you to everyone who is reading the story, I hope you are still enjoying it. I'm sorry I didn't post this on Tuesday as I intended but the inevitable Christmas insanity has caught up with me - that and it turns out secret Santa is tomorrow not Monday as I'd thought.

**Superob5** - don't stress about a review, the fact you're still reading is enough for me :)

**Lia Majere** - you're right, it is wonderful to see yourself (and your work) through someone else's eyes. And to see that the imperfections we see in ourselves aren't as obvious to others as we might think.


	6. Path Between the Stars

Chapter 6 – Path Between the Stars

Jareth stalked into his throne room and paused, taking in the sight of his pale jewel still absorbed in scrutinising the crystal he'd provided. Meeting the girl in the Labyrinth had only increased his admiration for this beauteous creature. There was none of the harshness here that marred that other countenance, none of the suspicion. At the sound of his footsteps lavender eyes snapped up and Jareth was once again assaulted by a muddled welter of feeling as porcelain skin flushed with joy. There were still traces of fear in the eyes but that just served to make the joy taste all the sweeter.

He approached and the crystal was set aside, laid in state on a nearby cushion, while its owner folded slender hands and watched him attentively. Jareth couldn't resist stroking the soft hair and softer cheeks, smiling at the breathless whimper the gesture drew from half parted lips.

"Have you been having fun?" he asked, seating himself beside his prize. A rosy blush suffused the pale skin as the white head nodded. "What would you like to do now?"

"Whatever you want me to," came the husky reply.

Merciful stars, could this day get any better? Jareth had known this plan was better than his other efforts, if any plan could come to fruition it would be this piece of devious mischief. But for it to come with such pleasure was unexpected. He could see everything he'd ever wanted in those luminescent jewel-like eyes: fear, love, devotion. This exquisite creature, who he'd taken as an afterthought was what he'd been searching for all these long centuries.

"Come then, my sweet one," he laughed, standing with one smooth movement and extending a hand to the still seated figure. "We shall go and find you something to amuse yourself with."

***

The silence was thick and lay heavy on the air. To the white haired figure laying on the ground the idea of movement seemed a fanciful one, the silence was a palpable force holding her down. It was dark, but not as night is dark. This was darkness without the promise of daybreak, darkness that had never known light.

_Erin_

Was that a voice? Or a stray thought in the darkness? The lethargy filling her limbs began to fade and she pushed herself up until she was sitting. There was something wrong, something missing. She held up on hand, looking at her fingers, then realised she could see herself despite the oppressive darkness. It was as though her body was suffused in a faint light that dispelled the dark as far as her own skin. She looked down at the floor and could see that it was white stone. That was strange: hadn't she been in a forest?

_Erin_

There was that name again, drifting on the winds of thought. Was it her name?

She got to her feet and looked around, pushing away the feeling that she shouldn't move. There was a faint glow in the distance, off to her left and she made her way towards it. As she approached she fancied she could see the outlines of walls, curving away into the blackness. She was brought up short by a barrier blocking her path. She explored its cold slick surface with curious fingers and peered at it, trying to determine what obscure material had be used to construct it. Flickers of movement deep within the surface gave her the answer: it was not a wall, it was a mirror.

She looked again, realising that no matter how hard she stared, she could glimpse no reflection of herself. This thought hit her like a shock of iced water. There was movement there, if she squinted she could see figures moving within the darkened glass. Abruptly the mirror brightened, although the room behind her remained dark. The reflection showed the huge room in all its spectacular glory, all crystal and light, gilt and drama. A painted throng in ballroom splendour all dancing, singing, laughing. In the midst of the crowd she could see a flicker of deep purple, the colour shining like a beacon and making the other revellers' clothes seem drab by comparison.

The vibrant image reflected in the mirror's flawless surface only served to reinforce her sense of loneliness and isolation. Why was the room behind her empty when the mirror showed such activity? Why was she alone? Without thinking she slapped one hand against the smooth glass, overcome by the unfairness of it all. Why did she have to be so lonely when everyone else was having fun? Why did Kate keep her out of everything?

She gasped as the memory of a thin, hard face slammed back into place in her mind, all narrow eyes, sharp nose and over-bleached hair. A harsh whining voice sprang up from nowhere:

_Well look, if it isn't the Dateless Wonder. Go back to your little attic. You don't need to come down here. You have everything you need up there, stop bothering us. We don't want you. We don't want you. We don't want you._

Kate. Her own personal torment, ruling the roost of the house she lived in with four other students. That was it, she was a history student, living a solitary existence in the attic, pushed away by the venomous attitude of a painted bitch who mocked her white hair while all the time trying to bleach her own to the same colour. Another face slipped into place in her mind, wide grey eyes that were always laughing, as though they were copying the generous mouth that always smiled. Unruly black hair that would not stop curling all over the place no matter how many products were slathered over it. Another snatch of conversation rose from memory like a ghost and she recognised her own strange sultry voice.

_ It's not gonna work Rob. _

_ Keep trying Erin, please. Try putting more on._

_It won't matter if I put the whole pot on. It just will not behave itself._

_ Hell! What am I going to do? I can't go out like this, I look like a chicken on crack!_

_ Same thing I have to. Same thing we all do. Get yourself up to the bathroom, prise Kate away from the mirror, kick her out and wash your hair. Or you could go out looking like a chicken on crack and enjoy the expressions of horror on people's faces._

How could she have forgotten? Her name _was _Erin and Rob was her friend. He talked to her whenever he was around, whenever she wasn't up in her attic hiding from Kate's malice. The sense of something lost, something stolen welled up in her chest. What if Rob was here? What if he was lost like she was? The flicker of purple caught her eye again. He liked purple, she remembered that much: she'd bought a purple raincoat because she'd fallen in love with the style and Rob been effusive in his praise of it, saying he loved the colour on her the first time she'd worn it.

She banged on the glass, calling for her friend, not knowing if sound could carry through into the strange mirror world. She didn't care, she had to find Rob and get out. There was a shifting in the crowd and the purple figure emerged into the clear space before the mirror. One ivory hand, poised to bang again, froze in mid-movement. Lavender eyes opened wide in shock.

A slim figure wearing an elaborate purple ball gown approached the mirror. Twirling this way and that, the dress was displayed to the throng and admired in the mirror. Thick white tresses were pinned up and strung with gold chains decorated with amethysts. The face under that mass of hair was at once strange and painfully familiar. The huge eyes looked almost the same colour as the gown thanks to the smoky kohl surrounding them, the high cheekbones were stained by a faint flush, whether from the heat or emotion it was impossible to tell and the full lipped mouth was drawn into an uncharacteristic smile.

Erin's reflection pouted and flirted with the mirror, oblivious to the distressed woman on the other side of the glass.

* * *

A/N – I'm not sure which would be worse: looking in a mirror and having no reflection or looking in a mirror & seeing your reflection acting independently. Actually I think having my reflection acting out on its own would be worse...

So, did you guess that Jareth's 'guest' was the girl's reflection? Or did you think it was someone else?

Hello to all my darling reviewers - your continued support is a massive boost to my confidence (I have written 3 chapters of my novel prompted by your support alone - so thank you my dears xx) A special hello to Ihnldy, RoseIsahredANDVioleTsirblou and XXBlackfireXX - thank you for your kind comments, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.


	7. Turned My World

Chapter 7 – Turned My World

Erin stared in horror at the reflection's antics. If it was her reflection and not some trick of this strange world. It was her face right enough but her hair hadn't been that long for years. She remembered her mother's fury on discovering her, aged eight, hacking at it with the kitchen scissors, when she couldn't stand the playground taunting any longer. She had made such a mess of it her mother had no choice but to cut it into the pixie-cap that Erin had kept ever since. Recently she'd tried dying it but the colours never came out right and faded within days. Come to think of it she'd never been this outgoing either: the reflection was still preening before her side of the mirror.

A shudder went through Erin as she saw the ash-blond man stalking with all the grace of a predator behind the purple clad woman. She tried to shout a warning but the words died in her throat. She watched in stunned silence as the man halted behind her reflection, long fingered hands curling around her shoulders. She could swear she felt the pressure on her own shoulders and she swung round ready to confront him. There was nothing behind her but the dark silent room. When she looked back she could see him whispering something to the now still reflection. The smoky eyes were turned upwards and the flushed face was set in an expression of adoration. His eyes flickered towards the mirror and she started at the expression of smug malice they held. He whispered to his partner again and waved a hand across the shiny surface of the mirror.

That smiling sultry face contorted into an expression of horrified disgust. Erin realised he was allowing the reflection to see her, all alone in a darkened room. She could only imagine how she appeared to that primped and pampered creature on the other side of the glass: drab clothes stained with dirt and sweat, tangled hair and tearstained face. He was speaking again, gesturing towards the mirror. The reflection's eyes widened, wide and dark with fear. She began to shake her head, cowering away from what she saw in her side of the mirror. She half turned towards the man, clutching at his arm and burying her face against his sleeve. Erin glared at him. He was enjoying the poor girl's distress, she could see it in his eyes. His head came up and his gaze met hers. His lips moved and she swore she could hear the ghost of his words.

_Such a pity_

Anger welled up, her throat was tight with it and she could feel it bubble and pop in her stomach. She swung round, hand lashing out at the spot where his face should be if the reflection was accurate. She was shocked by the sudden sting in her palm but it was nothing to the shock in his face when she turned back to the mirror. There was a red mark on his cheek and his eyes were snapping in anger. Erin forced a smirk of her own and his expression darkened. Then his shark smile returned and she felt a whisper of fear uncurl in her chest. He raised his free hand and gestured. The mirror warped and rippled, shimmering in rainbow colours like a soap bubble. The world tilted on its axis and Erin was falling into darkness. Those mocking words followed her down into unconsciousness:

_Such a pity_

***

Jareth was glowering as he lounged on his throne. The little bitch had struck him. Him. King of the Goblins. Master of the Labyrinth. How dared she? Another question intruded: How had she managed it? He had ensured she was isolated in the dream bubble, that there was no possibility of her interfering with the mirror world. Yet she had struck him. He remembered the flush of anger on her pale cheeks, the snapping lavender eyes. In that moment she had approached the beauty of his prize. That thought brought him back to his surroundings. Back to the lithe figure curled up in the nest of pillows, desperate to avoid his attention.

"Erin," he called softly. He watched the shoulders stiffen then the white head lifted, long tresses cascading around a wary, tearstained face. Jareth held out his hand to her. "Come here, sweet one."

She crawled out of the pillows and sat at his feet, glancing up out of the corner of her eye as though she were afraid of him. Probably she was. His trick with the mirror had been rather cruel, Jareth reflected, even for him.

"I'm sorry, little one," he said, stroking her hair in an attempt to soothe her. "I would rather have done anything than upset you but you needed to see the truth."

He was surprised to see a flicker of some new emotion on her face; if he didn't know better he'd say she didn't believe him.

"The truth hurts," she muttered, face sullen. Jareth's eyes widened. Was that _petulance_?

"It does indeed Erin," he agreed, pushing away his irritation at her behaviour. Where was the gratitude? He'd made her so much more than that bound up cynical creature in the Labyrinth and instead of being grateful she was annoyed that he'd shown it to her?

"Don't call me that," she said, "that's her name not mine."

"What shall I call you then?" Jareth asked with a frown. He wasn't sure he liked the way this was going. She was getting a little too independent for his taste.

"What do you want to call me?" she asked. "You created me, after all."

Jareth was stunned for a moment. Every second spent with this enigmatic creature produced new surprises. One instant she was angry with him for revealing the truth of her origins, the next she was submitting to his mercy and asking for a name. He looked at her long and hard, trying to determine any traces of deceit in her eyes. She stared back at him, face open and vulnerable, waiting on his decision.

"Eireann," he said finally, watching her reaction. Her face lit up and she clapped her hands together happily. Jareth smiled at her simple pleasure in what was just another version of her own name. "Does that name meet with your approval, sweetest one?"

"It's wonderful," she cried, catching his hand and kissing it. She rested her cheek against it in a gesture of devotion. "Thank you."

Jareth bit back a smirk and began to stroke the white hair once more. How could he ever have thought her like her other self? Of course she had reacted badly. She had said it herself: the truth hurts.

* * *

A/N – The mysterious 'guest' is revealed. I had a devil of a time writing about the reflection trying not to give away whether it was male or female.

**Ihnldy **- thank you for your explanation of what an ablation is - I think that is closer to Eireann's true nature than just being a simple reflection. After all Jareth doesn't seem particularly impressed by Erin so why would he create an exact copy of her?

**Michelle** - thanks for reading and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I'm sorry for ending on a cliff-hanger but how else can I make sure you come back for the next installment? :)

Hi to everyone who came back for chapter 7 (and thank you reviewers) we're at the half-way point now. The next couple of chapters might be a little angsty as Erin begins to remember the events that led up to her imprisionment in the Labyrinth... but it does have a purpose, I promise...


	8. Don't Tell Me Truth Hurts

**Chapter 8 - Don't Tell Me Truth Hurts...**

Consciousness returned piecemeal: the softness of pillows, the hiss of rain overhead, the faint scent of detergent on clean sheets and the insistent thumping of a migraine. Erin groaned and clutched her head, turning her face into the pillow as she reached for the escaping tail of sleep. Memory stirred and she shot up out of the bed, pressing a hand to her head as it protested the abuse. She had been in a Labyrinth, she was looking for something. Her heart sank; she had attacked the blonde man who appeared to be running things and he had turned the world upside down in revenge. Literally. Erin was half afraid to look and see what disaster she'd fallen into this time. She turned slowly, taking in her surroundings.

A room. An ordinary, normal room. More to the point, her ordinary normal room, tucked up under the eaves of the house. The plants on the desk trembled in the breeze from the open window and she shivered. Erin reached across the waving fronds and leaves to pull the sash down, trapping the cold where it belonged: outside. She frowned as she walked around the room checking that everything was in its appropriate place. Her foot caught something as she passed the bed, something that bounced and rolled across the room to rest under a chair. She crouched to pick it up: an apple, half eaten and brown from being exposed to the air.

_Well that explains a lot_, she thought as she threw it into the bin. _It will certainly teach me not to eat right before bed. Bad dreams._

She thought about going downstairs to see if Rob was alright. A glance at the clock showed it was 11pm, he might still be in the big sitting room downstairs. A knot of unease tightened in her stomach. She'd have to go into the lair of the beast, the sitting room was part of Kate's domain. What if Kate was down there waiting for her to come out, waiting to vent her spite again? Better to stay up here, safer. Erin crossed to the desk and turned on the computer. She could do her coursework or something to pass the time until she felt sleepy again. After a minute or two she glanced at the screen, only to find it blank and inert. She pushed every button she could find, checked all the plugs and still it sat and stared at her, dumb and dead. Cold dread filled her: had Kate been up here? Erin looked around, frantic, trying to find any evidence that her nemesis had been in the room. Was that why Kate had been on the stairs earlier when Rob had stopped to talk to her?

***

"Hey Erin, wait up!"

Erin had paused hearing her name called and waited for Rob to extricate himself from his sodden coat, which was dripping all over the hall floor. She giggled and grabbed his arm as he caught his foot in the hem and stumbled. Making sure he wasn't going to fall down anytime soon she gingerly pulled the coat off and held it out to him.

"Eww," she shuddered, "don't you have an umbrella?"

"It wasn't supposed to rain today," he replied with a sheepish grin. "They said so on the telly."

"And of course everything on telly must be true." Erin gave up trying to get him to take the dripping garment and headed through the kitchen to the tiny laundry room. She threw it into the washing machine, adding the detergent and starting the wash cycle.

"You can wash it?" Rob's face was a picture. He shook his head at the idea and brightened suddenly. "Hey I wanted to talk to you."

"Really?" Erin raised one eyebrow in silent question. "What are we doing now then?"

"This is laundry," he laughed as they made their way back out into the hall. "We're going to watch movies tonight in the sitting room. You know, nothing serious. Movies, takeaway, a few beers, a good time to be had by all. You wanna join us?"

Before she had time to answer they were interrupted by the clatter of high heels on the stairs. Kate came downstairs, a sneer settling over her face when she saw Erin.

"If it isn't the Dateless Wonder," she sneered.

"Kate you really shouldn't talk about yourself like that," Rob said, his voice full of concern. "People will think you have self-esteem issues."

She pinned him with a scornful look, then turned her attention back to Erin.

"Shouldn't you be in your attic, Erin?" she asked. "I don't see why you bother coming down here. If I were you I wouldn't keep pushing myself in where I'm not wanted."

"God forbid," Rob muttered with a scowl.

"I overheard you talking about a movie night, Robert," Kate said. "In case you've forgotten the sitting room is part of my suite and I don't want that," she waved a dismissive hand at Erin, "anywhere near me or my belongings."

Erin didn't wait to hear any more, didn't wait for Rob to agree with Kate to save their plans. She shoved past the smirking woman and ran up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her. She had sobbed in rage and frustration: it wasn't fair: What had she done to deserve such treatment? Kate had been on her back ever since she'd moved in. It had begun with small slights and insults and had escalated into a full blown campaign.

"It's not fair," she ground out, "why can't she leave me alone?"

In her anger she didn't notice the uncanny silence that fell over the house, dispelling even the sound of the rain hissing against the roof. The world waited.

"I wish everyone would just leave me alone."

"Done." The voice came from behind her, full of deadly amusement.

Erin whirled round so fast she lost her balance and fell. She stared up at a tall man standing with studied nonchalance just inside her door. He was dressed all in black: long boots, tight leggings, ruffled shirt and a robe that seemed to be a hundred sparkling rags all sewn together. She couldn't focus on his face properly; all she could see was a cruel mouth and eyes that shifted from green to blue and back.

"Who are you?" Erin whispered. "How did you get in here?"

He looked her over, an expression of distaste twisting his mouth. It was the exact look Kate always fixed her with.

"You want to be left alone," he said, his tone mocking. "You think you would be better off alone perhaps? No one to disappoint, no expectations to live up to, no one to answer to but yourself."

Erin couldn't speak, her throat closed in fear. Who was this man? Had Kate let him in? Was that why she'd been upstairs when she didn't belong up here?

"You wished to be left alone," the man continued, "and I have granted that wish. You are alone and always will be."

Erin scrambled to her feet as he approached but he circled behind her and pushed her towards the mirror. She stared at the reflection, unable to move or even think while his hands were on her shoulders.

"I didn't," she whispered, struggling to get the words out. "I didn't."

"You didn't what, my dear? Didn't mean it?" She could hear the smirk in his voice as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Oh but you did. You meant it with all your heart and soul."

She gasped as he squeezed her shoulders hard enough to hurt and then the feeling of his hands on her vanished. She risked a look over her shoulder to find that he was gone. Looking back at the mirror she let out a whimper of fright. The man was still there in the glass, his hands tight about her reflection's upper arms.

"I am a fair man however," his voice seemed to well up from all around her. One hand moved to pet her reflection's hair. "So I will give you a chance to change your mind. Look there."

He pointed away behind her and she glanced round. Her room was gone. She and the mirror were standing at the top of a small hill made of dusty yellow earth. A path stretched away towards the black menacing walls of a huge maze, so big her mind couldn't begin to comprehend it. At the centre she could see rooftops and beyond those a castle with tall spiky towers.

"I will await you in my castle, beyond the goblin city," the man's voice came again. She looked back at the mirror. "You have thirteen hours to solve the Labyrinth and reach my castle. If you do that you may reclaim what I have taken. If not," he paused with a smirk. "If not, then you will become one of us forever."

He pulled the reflection backwards, deeper into the mirror and Erin collapsed. A searing, gnawing pain ripped through her body and she screamed, howling her agony to the uncaring sky. She burned and froze at the same time and no one came to help.

* * *

A/N – So now we know how Erin came to be in the Labyrinth... _and_ how Jareth got hold of her reflection.

As I said at the start of chapter one, I wrote this to work through some issues and this is where we get to them (I'm sorry everyone that this chapter and the next are going to be rather angsty). I was bullied at school from the age of 9 or so and I'm painfully aware that my personality changed dramatically as a result – before that age I was confident and knew exactly who I was and where I was going in life. By the time I left school at 16 my confidence was non-existant, I had no friends and no faith in my own abilities. Fortunately my maths teacher (an ogre who had the whole school terrified) told my parents about a high-school in the area that had an excellent academic record, far better than the sixth form college that my peers were attending. He felt that the more formal setting would be better for me and he was right. I was the only person from my school there so didn't have to deal with old emnities. I also found out that my school had a bad reputation and I wasn't expected to do well based on the grades I'd arrived with. Thanks to the support of the teachers, and a group of really good friends, I proved them wrong. It has taken me 14 years to regain some portion of what I lost as a child and there are days when it still comes back to haunt me, as you can see from this story.

Anyway, thank you everyone for taking the time to read this and extra big thanks to my reviewers. I intend to put up chapter 9 in the next couple of days while I am still on holiday from work.

Seasons Greetings and a Happy New Year to you all.

Caz xx


	9. It Hurts Like Hell

**Chapter 9 - ...It Hurts Like Hell**

Jareth frowned when his precious one stopped singing and pressed a trembling hand to her forehead. Wide eyes went dark, darting from side to side in confusion.

"Eireann?" Jareth couldn't keep the sharp note from his voice. She flinched at the tone, turned pain-filled eyes on him. "What is wrong?"

"It hurts," she whimpered, one hand going to her heart as though she was afraid it would be ripped from her chest. "Why does it hurt so?"

Before he could answer she collapsed, sliding from her seat to lay in a tumble of white curls and purple skirts. The goblins scattered. Fearing their King's wrath, they fled; none of them wanted to risk being blamed for the favourite's illness. Jareth cursed as he moved to her side. Turning the limp form he brushed the clinging white strands away. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him. There was some new emotion lurking in the amethyst depths, but he could not quite decide what it was.

"You stole me," Eireann said, her voice the merest thread of pain. "You didn't tell me that you stole me from her."

Anger welled up in Jareth's heart. There it was again: the ingratitude. He had taken her away from a life of drudgery, a sad miserable lonely existence and she only cared about herself. In that moment he came very close to commanding the goblins to throw her into the Oubliet.

"Yes, I stole you," he replied, lips quirking into a cruel smirk. "She had no use for you and I did."

"What use?"

He wanted to lie, salve his pride. She would believe a lie, he knew, but if he lied his plan would be in jeopardy. It was self-evident that her other self had remembered the events leading to their separation. It was also plain that Eireann was still connected to her in some way and had learned some measure of the truth of her origins. She had been right when she said that truth hurts. But he would have to tell it to stand any chance of success. He needed her for his plan to work. Still it was painful to admit and suddenly he was glad his goblins' cowardice had cleared the room.

"I was lonely," he admitted quietly. "More so than you could ever comprehend. Then one day, somewhere in the Aboveground, a scarred and bitter heart wished to be left alone and as the Goblin King I granted that wish. But as I beheld that angry, twisted visage I also saw great beauty: another face, open, vulnerable and filled with an aching solitude that matched my own."

She lay passive and quiet as he lifted her in his arms and carried her through the halls to an opulent bedroom. Laying her on the silk coverlet, Jareth sat beside her, taking her hand in his.

"It was plain the girl had no notion of what lay dormant inside her, no concept of the agony she was causing this gentle soul that lived within. I saw. I knew. And I took it from her. She didn't deserve it." His fingers brushed along the back of her hand, from wrist to fingertips and she shivered. She was falling under the spell of his voice, an enchantment woven of honeyed words and tender caresses. "I stole you from her, it is true. But you will forgive my trespass, I know. When you are my queen, all will be as it should be and neither of us will be lonely ever again."

***

Erin shook her head to clear the memory of the pain. So that was how it had all started. She looked around the room again with clearer eyes. She doubted this was her own room. Thinking about it, Kate had trouble getting her eyeliner on straight didn't she? How would she know how to begin wrecking a computer? It was a prop, never meant to work as anything other than to fool her into believing that she was home, wasting precious time. There were some things that were right though. That vase of tulips on the desk, for example. Rob had pinched them from one of the square gardens a couple of nights ago. He'd gone over the wall and harvested thirty or so, moving round the garden so it wasn't obvious where they'd been taken. He'd divided them by colour, giving all the purple ones to Erin and splitting the rest between their housemates Lacey and Hanna. Erin smiled at the memory: she had only been there because Lacey had grabbed her arm and refused to let go when they proposed a foray in search of food. She looked round the room.

In the window a sun-catcher twirled in the breeze. That had been a gift from Hanna, brought back from her holiday to Devon. A glint of silver on the desk was a necklace Lacey had made in her metalwork evening-class. She'd found it on the kitchen table one morning with a note: _One came out right at last. Happy Un-Birthday. _There were other small gifts scattered about the room, some from Rob. An Alice band in purple velvet, silver earrings smothered with tiny amethysts, a bottle of purple ink, a sparkling picture frame that held a photo of the four of them: Erin, Rob, Lacey and Hanna.

Erin pulled that thought to a halt and looked at it properly. A lot of the decorative stuff in her room were gifts, from her housemates or friends from college. There were birthday and Christmas presents, Un-birthday presents like Lacey's necklace or holiday keep-sakes like Hanna's sun-catcher. They wouldn't give these things to her for no reason, would they? Why did Rob keep finding all those little things for her? They always tried to include her, even in the face of Kate's most violent opposition.

It came to her then: she had seen her life as a cage. She was on the inside like an animal in the zoo with people poking at her through the bars and laughing when she snarled. But most of the people didn't do that. Sure, there were a few like Kate who were active in their dislike but most probably couldn't care less either way. Some like Rob, Hanna and Lacey were actually trying to get her to come out from behind the bars and enjoy herself. With that realisation came another: this was a cage of her own making. She, Erin, had built the bars up between herself and other people. She was bruised from the bullying when she was younger and had been determined not to be a victim again. So she cut herself off where no one could reach her. Except they could, as Kate had proved time and again. Erin had put herself into a corner and had nowhere else to retreat when faced with the very behaviour she was trying to avoid. She might as well give Kate a pointed stick to poke at her with, she'd done everything else to help her. It wasn't the house or the room that was a cage, it was her own negative attitude. In her desperation not to be a victim again, she had inadvertently made herself just that.

That was it, that was the secret. She had to get outside and do something to fix her own situation. Like getting back the piece of herself the Goblin King had stolen. Hiding from her problems would make them worse, she could see that now. Lacey's silver necklace winked at her again as she walked past the table. Erin scooped it up and hung it round her neck like a talisman. The only way out was the door but she knew now it wouldn't lead into the house: it would lead back out into the Labyrinth and she had the sinking feeling her time was running short.

* * *

A/N – Sorry for all the heavy stuff. Erin's realisation was the whole reason I started writing the story in the first place. It took me a while to realise it though - funny how the answer is so blindingly obvious with hind-sight.

We're well on our way towards the conclusion now, although I don't expect Jareth to make it easy - he's a willful beast and I'm having a deal of trouble working around him...

I hope the heavy content of the last two chapters hasn't put you off - thank you everyone for sticking with me on this. Reviewers, thank you for your kind words - your support is greatly appreciated.


	10. Precious Thing

**Chapter 10 – Precious Thing**

Erin squared her shoulders as she grasped the antique doorknob. Taking a deep breath she turned it and pushed the door wide. She blinked as the red light of sunrise struck her eyes, squinting against the glare she made out the shapes of buildings, squatting dark and sullen all around. Venturing out she realised she was in the ramshackle city she'd seen at the centre of the Labyrinth. She was almost there.

Rounding a corner she almost tripped over a creature huddled in the shadows. It looked like a cross between a something and a god-knows-what, covered in a mixture of ratty fur and bright feathers, with a lizard's face and skinny limbs. It was wrapped in a makeshift suit of armour made from scraps of chain mail and leather laced together. A helmet that looked more like a cooking pot was crammed onto its head and it was shivering in obvious misery.

"Are you alright?" Erin asked crouching beside it. It curled in on itself and turned its head away.

"Go 'way," a sullen voice muttered. "Leave me alone."

"What's wrong?" The irony of the situation wasn't lost on her. It was rather like one of her bad days where Lacey and Hanna would try to coax her to open up and tell them what was wrong.

"Go 'way!" The goblin (she was sure it was a goblin) exclaimed, flinching away from her outstretched hand. "You'll get me killed."

"He's told you all to keep away from me hasn't he?" Understanding dawned in Erin's face as she put the cryptic hints together. The Goblin King had said the Labyrinth 'didn't have to be' empty. He had pulled everything out to fulfil his 'promise' of leaving her all alone. Except he hadn't quite managed it: the little blue worm and the Fire Gang had somehow escaped his notice. "I'll tell you what, I'll ask a question and you nod if I'm right, ok?"

The pot helmet nodded.

"Ok then. The castle is the other side of the city, yes?" A nod. "And the Goblin King is there?" Another nod. "Is there a girl with him? One who looks a bit like me, but prettier?"

"Precious thing."

The words were spat out in a spiteful hiss.

"I beg your pardon?"

"That's what he calls her," the goblin growled, forgetting any danger it might be in from talking to the stranger.

Jareth had been very specific in his description of what would happen to any goblin caught within sight of the woman. But its resentment of the pretty creature Jareth was fawning over was bubbling up: a goblin warrior even when clumsy and awkward is still a warrior and should never have to stoop to playing the fool to entertain a mithering human wench.

"He calls her 'sweet one' and his 'precious jewel'. He makes us entertain her when she cries."

"Does she cry a lot?" Erin asked in concern. She had seen the expression of cruel delight on the Goblin King's face too clearly in the ballroom to doubt the answer.

"Too much." The goblin scowled, kicking at the stones beneath its feet. "He _makes_ her cry. Just so we'll play the fools to sooth the pathetic wench. He knows what he's doing does Jareth, I'll grant him that. She wouldn't have anything to do with him when he brought her here but now, well she clings to him when he's near and weeps when he's not."

"Clever," Erin murmured.

She knew there was a strong tendency within her nature to cling to kindness and to need reassurance and approval. That all stemmed from being tormented at school. However she had fought against it by isolating herself, making herself strong and self-reliant. So much so, as she now realised, that she had gone the other way and spurned kindness whether well intentioned or not. It seemed that Jareth hadn't stolen her reflection after all, because if he had then this girl would be reacting in the same way as Erin herself might. It was more like he'd stolen the more vulnerable part of her, what? Heart? Mind? Soul? Perhaps even a mixture of all three. Whatever he had taken to spin this second 'Erin' into being the trauma had been enough to bury her memory of everything up to the point of separation. In truth it did not matter what Jareth had done or how he had done it, Erin wanted out of the Labyrinth and finding what had been taken from her was the only way to achieve that goal.

She left the goblin without a backward glance and strode through the city. She could see the high walls of the castle drawing closer as she passed between the warped and twisted buildings. There was no sign of any opposition, no hint that Jareth was mobilising to stop her and that scared Erin more than any army could. If the Goblin King thought he didn't need an army to keep her from the castle, then what was waiting for her within?

"City's empty but the milkman still delivers?" Erin mused as she mounted the high yellow steps to the doors of the castle and spotted two bottles of milk left at the top. "This place is even more twisted than I thought."

The doors were so large and heavy that it was impossible to tell if they were locked or not. Erin pushed and strained against the weight with little success. A sudden thought occurred to her, given the twisted nature of the Labyrinth that pushing might not be the answer. What had the worm said about her getting into his home?

_I'm sure you'd find a way in, if you put your mind to it_

If she put her mind to it. Erin examined both doors with minute care and found a hair-line crack in the left-hand door, outlining the shape of a human sized door. She ran her fingers over the surface and found an indentation just large enough for the tips of her fingers. Praying that this wasn't a trap Erin pressed her fingers into the tiny holes and was rewarded with a soft but satisfying click. Placing her palm flat against the door she pushed gently and the panel swung open.

"You can't take anything for granted in this place," a tiny voice said at ear level. She looked round and smiled at the purple worm watching her from a crack in the wall. It had an orange scarf round its neck.

"I'm starting to realise that," Erin replied, reaching out one finger to stroke the worm's head. "I think met a friend of yours a while back."

"Tim? Up by the entrance to the Labyrinth?" The worm seemed pleased when she nodded. "Good lad is Tim, good lad. Married me sister he did. She makes a lovely cuppa."

"So I hear," Erin grinned, wondering if any of the other inhabitants of the Labyrinth were as obsessed with tea as these worms. She nodded to the worm and went to step through the door.

"'Ere, you sure you want to go in there, Miss?" The worm's little face wrinkled up in concern. "Tim must've warned you 'bout the castle."

"He did but I have to find Jareth." The name hung heavy on the air and Erin glanced round, half expecting its owner to appear. "He took something of mine and I want it back."

* * *

A/N – I don't think the worm had a name in the film but I needed to name him for this so I called him Tim, pretty much because in the film he was voiced by Timothy Bateson. The other worm is called Roger or Rog, in case anyone's interested. I had trouble writing the end of this chapter because Rog is a garrulous little devil and wouldn't stick to his script. He kept distracting me with tales of his sister's fantastic tea and how Tim was the luckiest worm in the Labyrinth to have married her ("'Rog,' Tim sez to me, 'Rog, you say what you like but Annie does make a lovely cuppa.'").

He's called Rog because I could hear Roger Lloyd Pack (Trigger from Only Fools & Horses) in my head while I was writing him.

There's only 3 more chapters to go after this one... at least I hope so - this story was only meant to be eight or nine chapters tops originally but, as they say, it's grown with the telling.


	11. Your Eyes Can Be So Cruel

**Chapter 11 – Your Eyes Can Be So Cruel**

The interior of the castle was, in a word, disappointing. It looked so ordinary that Erin touched every wall she came to, looking for the trick. There were none to be found. The walls were rough yellow sandstone, each one the same as its fellows and none of them interesting in any way beyond forming a barrier between one room and the next. Erin was so focused on checking the stones for tricks or traps she paid scant attention to the contents of each room she wandered into.

Ironically it was one of the stones that gave her the first hint that things weren't as they seemed. Erin had noticed a mark at eye level in the fourth (or was it the fifth?) room she had tried on leaving the entrance hall. A piece of stone had fallen away and the hole that it left behind looked like a lop-sided heart. She noticed another similar crack in the next room and again in the room after that. The fourth time she saw it Erin looked up and made careful note of the furnishings: broken furniture for the most part but there was the remnant of a musical instrument in the corner, something that had once had strings like a harp. This time when she left the room Erin kept her eyes straight ahead instead of inspecting the walls. Sure enough there was the ruined whatever-it-was surrounded by broken chairs.

"That's not fair," she muttered under her breath, kicking a splintered chair leg into the scrambled mess of wire. "But I bet you've never played fair in your life, have you?"

A whisper of mocking laughter was the only answer she got but then she hadn't expected anything more. She wondered how much of Jareth's promised thirteen hours she had left. Checking her watch she realised it must have stopped hours ago as it was stuck on three thirty-three.

"Well that can't be good," she said aloud. "I bet that was when he foisted that poisoned apple on me."

Alright that was probably a little unfair. She hadn't been forced into accepting the apple although she was convinced there was more than a little magic involved in the compulsion she had felt to taste the fruit. Still she wasn't getting anywhere by complaining about unfair practice, nor by wondering what time it was. She had to keep going and hope that she found her reflection before it was too late. Erin was in no doubt that when her time was up Jareth would show up quick enough. There was no way he would be able to resist gloating at her expense.

Three more attempts to leave the room were followed by three equally frustrating returns to the same place. Erin slumped against the wall, mind whirling with fear, anger and the petulant, childish thought: it's not fair! But fair or not, annoying or not, she had to get beyond this room.

"I give up," she shouted at the uncaring wreckage in the room. "You hear me? I give up! I want out of this stupid place."

She turned and ran back the way she'd come, weaving a random path through the rooms until she was brought up short at the top of a winding staircase. Erin concealed a grin of triumph. Given the devious and twisted nature of the Labyrinth and its master she'd suspected that an admission of defeat would result in being drawn further into the trap rather than being released from it.

"Get out."

Erin started at the harsh tone in an otherwise melodious voice. Looking down the stairs she saw her reflection glaring up at her. The other Erin's hair was piled on top of her head, held in place by dozens of tiny purple flowers. Her gown was fantastic, the bodice looked like leather carved with a curling pattern of flowering vines. The skirt was made up of thousands of scraps of purple silk, each a different shade and all fluttering in a nonexistent breeze. Her shoulders and arms were bare but a high collar rose up behind her head, the edges curling out like frozen spiderwebs. She looked strange and otherworldly, as though she were already part of the Labyrinth. Erin's heart sank: if Jareth had already succeeded in making this transformation would her words have any effect on this stolen part of her soul?

"Please listen to me," she called down the stairs, hoping to distract the other woman long enough to draw closer. "I need to talk to you."

"Don't bother." The tone was cruel and cold but still beautiful, like the first kiss of a killing frost. "He has warned me of your tricks. I will not listen to your lies."

With that she turned and fled down the stairs, disappearing through a stone archway covered with intricate carvings. Erin followed as best she could on the treacherous stairs, their surface slick with some glittering slime that seemed to try its best to make her lose her footing. She darted through the arch her other self had taken and found herself back at the top of the stairs. Growling with frustration she turned and went back through the doorway. Now she was in a small room, filled with racks of armor and weapons. Each turn and new doorway showed her a new room in the castle, a disjointed tour of Jareth's domain.

Now and again she spotted a flicker of purple skirt disappearing through a door or archway and she redoubled her efforts, calling for her reflection to stop, to listen to her.

She found herself in an opulent bedroom, walls panelled in dark wood and hung with beautiful tapestries. The bed, a massive four-poster, was hung with velvet drapes in deep purple and made up with pillows and covers of satin in the same colour. Through a curtained arch in one wall she could make out the edges of gowns hanging in what was obviously a dressing room. The dressing table was covered in jewels and ornaments; it appeared Jareth had been generous in his seduction.

An open archway led out onto a wide balcony: Erin stepped out and peered over the low wall to the terrace below. Her other self was there, looking around anxiously for any sign of pursuit.

"Jareth?" she called softly. "Jareth, where are you? I need you."

"Listen to me please," Erin called down to her, heart sinking when those angry eyes turned her way and ivory hands gathered up the skirts to run once more. "Please. Five minutes, that's all I ask. Talk to me, please."

"Why should I? He told me about you, you're going to try and trick me."

"I don't want to trick you," Erin told her, feeling more tired than she ever had in her life. "I'm not like that. We're not like that."

"_We?_" The reflection's voice was scornful. "How dare you imply we are anything alike?"

"We're the same person," Erin cried, forgetting her plans to persuade her other self to trust her. "He stole you from me, ripped my heart and soul in half and made you out of the pieces. I don't want to hurt you, all I want is to get out of this nightmare. But I'm not leaving you behind, I won't abandon you to him."

"He made me. He named me," the woman said, her voice haughty. "I am not a part of you any longer. He loves me, you know. I am his Queen."

"For how long?" Erin's voice was soft. "I'm sure he does love you, for now at least. But how long before he tires of you? How long before your tears and pain are more fascinating than your smiles. How long before you are just another pet? Before you are less than nothing because the next 'pet' has entered the Labyrinth?"

"You're lying." Erin winced at the despair in the melodious voice, at the tears she could see cutting across the ivory cheeks like knife wounds. "He loves me."

"Rob loves us." Two pairs of amethyst eyes widened at these words. Erin wasn't sure where they had come from but she knew they were true all the same. "Rob cares about us, even when we're cruel or selfish. He's always there with something to cheer us up."

"Even if it's only flowers stolen from the park." A half smile formed on the tear-streaked face.

"Exactly, even if it's only something tiny, a joke or a toy to make us laugh again," Erin nodded, smiling back at her. She was so close to her other self she could almost hear her thoughts. At the least she could sense what had happened to her, and draw a clearer conclusion from them. "Rob would never do what Jareth has done to you. He would never torment us and make us grateful for it."

The balcony shuddered under her feet. Erin looked around, half expecting to find the Goblin King standing behind her. There was no sign of him.

"Please," she begged looking down into her reflection's eyes, "please come with me. I won't leave you here alone, not now I've found you."

"I can't. Don't you see that I can't?" the other woman said, a note of true regret in her voice. "Even if what you say is the truth, how can I leave him? He is so very lonely. He needs me."

"He deserves to be lonely," Erin said without thinking. "For what he's done to you and to me, he deserves to be alone forever."

The stones under her feet twisted and lurched, pitching her forward towards the edge. Erin realised too late that criticising the Goblin King in his own castle was not the wisest of moves. The balcony crumbled sending her flying through the air toward the granite flagstones below. The last thing she saw was the terrified expression on the reflection's face as she rushed forward, arms outstretched.

* * *

A/N – Sorry Erin, but your guess was a bit out. At 3:33 he was just making up his mind to start torturing your reflection - I guess you just forgot to wind your watch up, that's all.

Big confrontation coming up - Erin finally faces off against Jareth to reclaim what he stole. Like the ballroom scene I wanted to avoid a direct copy of the film so unfortunately the Escher room won't be making an appearance. I did originally visualise the final confrontation taking place in the Escher room but it was very difficult to write and it never felt quite right. When I moved the setting suddenly everything fell into place it it began to flow again.

Thank you to everyone who is still with me - I hope the ending lives up to your expectations.

Caz xx


	12. Without Your Heartbeat

**Chapter 12 – Without Your Heartbeat**

Erin lay face down on the flagstones, the sun-kissed granite warm against her skin. She felt frozen, every part of her stiff and unresponsive and try as she might she couldn't find it in herself to stand. She heard footsteps approaching.

"What have we here?" a familiar voice drawled. She could hear the smirk that would be curling the lips into their customary shark smile without needing to look.

A gloved hand touched hers and Erin felt heat race through her body, life and strength following in its wake. She shuddered as painful twitches started in the muscles of her legs and arms, as though she hadn't used them for days. Fighting down a whimper of pain she grasped the hand that was still in hers and allowed Jareth to help her to her feet. Looking up at him she had to fight down the urge to cringe. His eyes were fixed on hers, shifting from blue to green so fast it made her dizzy. There was an expression of intolerable hunger there, as though she were the only thing in the world he could ever want. Erin glanced down at herself and bit back tears. She was wearing the clothes the reflection had been dressed in: the leather bodice tight across her body, the skirt fluttering against her legs. Her head was heavy with the weight of the piled up hair and she couldn't move it properly without the high collar digging in. She met Jareth's eyes again although with some reluctance: she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing that she was afraid.

His clothes had changed once again. He was dressed in ivory, the rags of his cloak fluttering about him like feathers on the wind and his face was pale and washed out. In that unguarded moment Erin caught a look in his eyes that cut deeper than any knife could. Suddenly she understood what the reflection had been trying to tell her and she could feel his burning loneliness as though it were her own. Then the cruel smile returned and this time Erin did take one step back. As the smile twisted into a smirk she squared her shoulders and glared back at him.

"I win," she said, voice quiet but firm. "I have taken back what was stolen from me. Now let me go."

"Have a care, Eireann," Jareth said, eyes narrowing. "I have been generous up to this point. But I can be cruel."

"Generous?" It was impossible to keep the scorn from her voice, not when she had experienced an upsurge of terror that was not her own at the threat. The indignities that the reflection, that _Eireann _had suffered at his hands still lingered in an obscure corner of her heart and mind. "I have seen nothing of you but your cruelty. What have you done that is generous?"

"Everything," Jareth snapped, stalking forwards. He halted mere inches from her, the heat radiating from him searing into her skin. "Everything I have done has been for you. You wanted to be left alone. I gave you that. You hated your life. I wove a new one for you. I gave you beauty and power, subjects to command and a kingdom to rule. I have turned the whole Labyrinth upside down, broken every rule I ever made and I have done it all for you."

These last words were spoken in a tired whisper. Erin couldn't help the rush of pity they inspired even though she knew it was coming from the other half of her heart, the half Jareth had tortured. If it had only been pity she might still have found it in herself to forgive him but there was a tiny part of her that felt as though she had deserved the treatment and that served to fuel her anger.

"And for that I'm supposed to be grateful?" she demanded. "You ripped my heart, my soul, in half. You took it, abused and broke it and I'm supposed to what? Go down on my knees and worship at your feet? It was no better than rape and you know it. You made her think she deserved what you were doing to her."

His eyes went wide at that and then narrowed abruptly. Erin knew she had a fight on her hands, not just against the Goblin King but against the part of herself that thought it loved him. Worse, the part that believed with its whole heart that he loved her.

"Eireann," Jareth began.

"Erin," she corrected with a frown. "Eireann was make-believe. A dream. I'm more than that."

The shark-smile was back and Erin had the sinking feeling she'd made a fatal error.

"Can't you see what I'm offering you?" Jareth asked, his voice soft and coaxing. "I'm offering you your dreams. You will be the Goblin Queen. You will be adored, worshipped. You will never be alone again. Just trust in me, give me your hand and my heart will be yours forever."

His words were worming their way into her mind, brushing aside her reservations and burrowing deep into her heart. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to be loved. But at such a price? Even death would be better than the prison that lurked behind the Goblin King's honeyed words.

"No dream is worth that," Erin managed to say, backing away a couple of steps. She was close to the edge of the wall, could see all the way down to the jagged rocks hundreds of feet below. "I didn't escape a cage of my own making just to walk blithely into one of yours. How long before you lose interest? How long before you tire of me and find a new pet? The dream is just that, a dream: something that will fade with the rising sun and the passing of time. And even if you spin it from stardust and moonbeams it will still be a cage. I want my freedom on my own terms or not at all."

Jareth's eyes flashed with anger and he took a long step towards her. Erin retreated, halting only when she could feel the edge of the stones under her feet.

"Let me go," she pleaded, softening her voice and trying with all her might to sound like Eireann had. "I won your game, didn't I? I reached the castle and found what you took."

"You still don't understand, do you?" His tone was triumphant but his flickering eyes held a touch of disappointment. "This was not a game you could win. You are the prize, not the player. You were never intended to win, even if you solved the Labyrinth, even if you learned the true nature of your chains. You are the only soul I ever met in all my centuries who even came close to understanding the emptiness in me. Because you are the same as I – you know the sting of loneliness as it gnaws upon the bitter heart. _You_ were always my prize and I claim you as my Queen. I will have you and we will rule the Labyrinth forever."

Erin nodded, understanding at last the trap he'd woven around her. Still there was one last thing to try, something that she prayed would not yet have occurred to him.

"So you won't grant me my freedom? You won't let me go?" He didn't need to answer her. His expression said louder than words that he never would. "Then I will take my freedom the only way I can."

She spread her arms wide as though she would embrace him. Jareth realised her intention seconds too late. He grabbed for her with a cry of anger and despair as she fell backwards off the wall. As her eyes met his for the last time he heard her say two words, her voice thick with triumph.

"I win."

* * *

A/N - I will admit, I didn't see that coming. This whole argument grew out of the 'stardust and moonbeams' line - I'm so glad that no-one walked into the bathroom at work the day that one popped into my head, cuz I was standing in front of the mirror for a good ten minutes working that speech out.

Only one more chapter to go - an epilogue of sorts to tie up the loose ends. It's already written so I'll post it in a couple of days.

Thanks to everyone who has read and big hugs to my kind reviewers.


	13. Epilogue Someone True

**Epilogue – Someone True**

Erin closed her eyes as she fell. She could feel the wind rushing past her, tugging her hair from its careful arrangement and fluttering her skirt around her like broken wings. Time slowed to a crawl and the rogue thought crawled through her mind that perhaps after all what Jareth had been offering hadn't been worth this. Another thought followed hard on the heels of the first: _too late now._

The impact seconds later snapped her eyes open. There was no pain. She looked around in confusion; she didn't know what falling hundreds of feet onto jagged rocks felt like but she hazarded a guess that it would be painful to say the least. Familiar objects greeted her stunned gaze: her alarm clock blinked the time at her with merry red glee, the vase of flowers stood on the table, the sun-catcher splashed rainbows across her from the last rays of the setting sun. She was back in her room.

A frantic banging on the door made her start and leap up, the heavy silver necklace bumping against her chest. Before she was half-way across the room, the din was increased by an angry shout.

"Erin, open this door right now!"

That was Rob, she realised, hugging herself with relief. She was home, she had made it. Her last desperate gambit had paid off. She dashed across the room and fumbled with the heavy antique lock.

"Alright, alright," she chided as she pulled the door open, to reveal Rob standing flushed and trembling on the other side. "No need to kick it in."

He stared at her in shock and Erin looked down at herself, suddenly worried that she had carried more out of the Labyrinth than she had intended. No, her clothes were as they had been before that fateful encounter on the stairs. A small part of her sighed with regret; that gown had been beautiful.

"If you stand there with your mouth open much longer someone will drive a bus into it," she told Rob, who blushed and swallowed nervously. "What's wrong?"

"You opened the door," he said, sounding a little confused. "You never open the door. Every time she sends you running up here, one of us comes up after you and you never open the door."

That brought her up short. She hadn't realised that her friends (and yes, they _were_ her friends weren't they?) had been trying so hard all this time to help her out of her cage. A dark thought occurred to her: how long would they have kept trying? If Jareth hadn't intervened and forced her to run the Labyrinth, how long before they would have given her up as a lost cause? A sick chill made her stomach flip over, just as it had when she'd fallen from the wall. Without thinking she threw her arms around Rob's neck and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," she said, voice choked with emotion.

"Ok," he said, sounding confused. It didn't stop him returning the hug though. "Uh, what for?"

"For not giving up on me," Erin replied pulling back. "For trying even though I wasn't being helpful."

"Oh _that_." Rob laughed and rubbed her shoulder briskly. "That's what friends are for right?"

She nodded and followed obediently as he wrapped an arm about her shoulders and led her downstairs. As they reached the hall the front door opened and Lacey dashed in carrying four take-away coffee cups in a cardboard holder.

"There you are," she grinned at Erin. She shoved the door closed with one foot and after peering at the cups, extracted one and handed it over. "That's yours. Triple tall, skinny, wet, almond syrup, right?"

"How on earth did you know that?" Erin exclaimed, sipping the steaming coffee and humming with pleasure at the sharp sweet flavour. "Thank you, by the way."

"I told the girl that my friend always came in there but I didn't know what she drank," Lacey said, passing another cup to Rob. "As soon as I said white hair and purple eyes she knew who I meant."

"Are you three going to get in here or what?" Hanna's voice floated out from the sitting room. "If we don't order now it'll take all night to get here and I'm starving."

"What about Kate?" Erin asked, dreading the answer.

"The wicked bitch of the west has gone out with her nose in a sling," Rob told her, with another hug that made Erin's knees go weak. "Lacey told her in no uncertain terms that you were wanted here tonight and she wasn't. We've been planning on kicking her out for a while but tonight put a tin lid on it."

"Things might be a bit tight for a while," Hanna added, sticking her head around the sitting room door. "At least until we can find someone else to go in on the rent."

"The peace and quiet will be worth it," Rob muttered. He shrugged at Erin's confusion. "Between her bitching and your histrionics, this poor medical student isn't getting any work done."

About to apologise, Erin saw him grinning at her and realised he was teasing. She poked him in the side, laughing as he squawked and jumped back. She grabbed his arm as he started to fall, hauling him upright for the second time that day.

"How on earth you're going to be a doctor when you keep falling over your own feet is beyond me," Hanna commented as she took her coffee from Lacey.

"They'll put him on the children's ward," Erin said with a sly grin. "Clown that he is they won't have to pay for entertainment."

A short time later the sitting room was full of happy laughter and the smell of Chinese take-away. They had ordered a mixture of food and the cardboard cartons were doing the round of the room. With Lacey and Hanna occupying the sofa, Rob had piled cushions on the floor into a nest for himself. Erin shuddered when he beckoned her to join him, the memory of her treatment in Jareth's throne room still fresh and raw. Still she perched on the very edge of the pile until Rob exacted revenge for the jab in his ribs by grabbing her arm and pulling her off balance so she ended up sprawled against him. He looked down at her, laughing, and the tightness in Erin's chest eased. Nothing could be further from Jareth's callous cruelty: from the unruly black curls and wide, open smile to the warm grey eyes.

When the food was gone and the boxes cleared away, they settled down to watch one of the many movies they had in their combined collection. It didn't bother Erin when Rob shifted her so she was supported by his body as he curled up around her.

"You seem happier," he said quietly, stroking her arm with gentle fingers. The DVD had finished and Hanna was choosing the next while Lacey was looking for ice-cream. "It's like you finally got a weight off your shoulders."

"It's strange," Erin replied, resting her head on his chest. "It feels like everything just stopped bothering me. Like all the things I used to worry about don't matter anymore."

"Sounds to me like you finally realised you're missing out on the good stuff because you spend too much time worrying about the bad stuff." Hanna commented as she put the DVD case back in the pile. "By the way, I love what you've done with your hair."

Erin swallowed and reached up to touch her hair. A chill ran through her as she felt something cool and soft caught between the strands. She pulled it free and peered at it in the dim light: it was a tiny purple flower. Lacey's noisy entrance prevented her from replying.

"We're all out of ice-cream kids. I'm gonna nip out and get some. Any requests?" Lacey grinned as chunky monkey, cookie dough and chocolate fudge brownie were all demanded. "Han, you gonna come with me?"

"Sure, whatever," Hanna said, with a wink at Rob and Erin. "I'll get my coat."

"You know, if this was a movie," Lacey said cheerfully as she followed Hanna out, "it would be a magic spell that fixed everything."

The door shut with a loud click behind them. Erin was suddenly aware of every part of her that was touching Rob, especially of his warm fingers stroking lazy circles on her arm.

"What kind of magic spell I wonder?"

Erin looked up as Rob spoke and froze. The white light from the TV bleached his dark hair and pale skin. His grey eyes seemed to shift to blue and green as the anti-piracy warning came up on the screen. She shivered as the ghost of a memory drifted across her mind. He smiled a dark secret smile and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"_Something frightening."_

_

* * *

_A/N - Finally we're there... this has been awfully hard for me at times, especially as Erin's troubles have forced me to face some rather unpleasant truths about myself as well. But I think that in the end it's been worth it. The ending feels a little strange to me, I mean it is what I intended to write and it was how I pictured it, on the surface, but I can't help feeling that maybe I've been stitched up... then I suppose if you set out to tweak the Goblin King's nose you can't feel too hard done by if you end up getting your own nose tweaked in return.

Thank you to everyone who took this journey with me, your support and encouragement have meant the world to me and have shown me that when I put my mind to something I can succeed. I might even have the courage to put up another story (possibly a re-write of my very first fan fic - an OC story based off the Legend of Zelda games)


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